MIGRANTS squatting in Calais who hope to enter the UK by crossing the Channel were urged to give up trying by France’s interior minister.

Bernard Cazeneuve has urged refugees to give up on crossing over to Britain

In what has been hailed as a victory for common sense, Bernard Cazeneuve called on the refugees to turn their back on Britain and claim asylum in France.

During a trip to Calais, Mr Cazeneuve said: “They should not try to cross illegally into Britain.

"We must make them understand clearly that asylum in France offers the best chance for them.”

And he warned that those who do not apply for refugee status will be booted out of the country as illegal immigrants.

Mr Cazeneuve’s intervention comes after Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart attacked Britain’s soft-touch benefit’s system and thriving black economy for turning her town into a magnet for illegal immigrants trying to enter the UK.

He said: “We welcome the French minister’s invitation to those refugees in Calais to seek asylum in France - this should be happening now anyway under international treaties.

“All European parties should follow the lead of the French and make it clear to the refugees on their soil that they should claim asylum in the country in which they first land.

“Ukip will honour the UK’s international commitments on asylum seekers. Ms Bouchart’s comments on the pull factors that entice refugees to the UK are correct. She is reinforcing what Ukip have been saying for some time.”